


BitterSweet, a Spreading Warmth

by AyumiFallassion



Category: Juuni Kokki | Twelve Kingdoms
Genre: Chocolate, Cute, Gen, Keiki and Youko are gonna kiss eventually, More slow burn, Not on my watch, Slife of life, a world without chocolate, minor history lesson, modern conveniences, queen stuff, slice of cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:00:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22481464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyumiFallassion/pseuds/AyumiFallassion
Summary: While on the hunt for a familiar taste of home, Youko is horrified to learn that there's no chocolate in the Twelve Kingdoms. What's a modern girl to do?Why, make it yourself of course!
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	1. Missing

A whisper of silks and the tapping of shoes against marble alerted the cook to a visitor to her domain. Annoyed at being interrupted, she turned with a wooden spoon in hand, only to freeze at the sight of brilliant red hair. “My queen!” She exclaimed as she bowed, almost smacking herself in the forehead with the spoon. “How may I help you this day?”

A hand on her shoulder and she looked up reflexively into kind eyes. She couldn’t help but relax a little at the smile framed by a wealth of garnet strands. “I’m sorry to bother you, I know you are busy preparing for dinner, but I was wondering if you could help me with something?” At the wide eyed nod from the cook, Youko continued. “You see, I’ve been missing a dessert from Wa, and was hoping you could make me something similar?”

“Of course my queen! We’ve recently employed a kaikyaku from En, and Lady Suzu has been known to help as well! What were you looking for?”

Youko grinned as the cook gestured over another woman, this one far older looking than them, wiping wrinkled hands on her dusty apron. “I’m grateful to you! So I was hoping for chocolate ice cream for after dinner tonight? Or tomorrow if you don’t have the time tonight, I know it can take some prep work.”

The two cooks looked at one another for a moment, puzzlement clear on their faces. “My queen,” the old kaikyaku woman began slowly, “what is chocolate?”

“...What?”

The cook bowed again at the tone in her queens’ voice. “Forgive me, but I do not know what this chocolate is either.”

“Perhaps if you describe it for us?”

She floundered. How do you describe chocolate to someone who’s never had it before? “W-well, it’s brown and sweet and rich when it melts in your mouth, and it can be used in a bunch of desserts?”

The elder bit her lip, hands twisting together nervously. “Do you mean taro? I believe the En king brought it over when he ascended.”

Youko paled. A world without chocolate? An eternity before her without chocolate!? Apologizing for taking up their time, she turned and exited the kitchen briskly. It couldn’t possibly be true.

Maybe it was just En and Kei? After all, they were closer to Japan than the other countries and she was the youngest Taika ruler. Maybe one of the western countries knew what it was?

“Youko? What’s your rush?” Suzu raises an eyebrow at her friend as the young queen all but raced around a corner.

“Suzu! Oh thank goodness!” Youko smiled as she marched up to the other girl, eyes bright with hope. “You went all over the kingdoms with the Riyo. Tell me, did you ever see chocolate?”

Only for that hope to die a fiery death at the look on confusion on her friends’ face. “What’s chocolate?”

“Oh not you too,” she moaned, burying her face in a hand. The single kanzashi in her hair chimed in protest, and Suzu backed away a step from her queen. “It’s a dessert from Japan, it was common and I miss it.”

Suzu gingerly patted Youko on the shoulder. “You know, I didn’t speak the language till I became a sage. Maybe I just didn’t know what it was at the time?”

Green eyes went wide as the queen straightened up with a jolt. “Shoukei! Maybe she knows!”

~~~...~~~...~~~

“I’m sorry Youko, but Hou didn’t have this, chocolate.”

Her heart crushed, Youko slumped down in a spare seat, ignoring the muffled snickers from her friends. The elegant girl was hiding a smile behind her hand at least, though Suzu was openly grinning at how frustrated Youko was getting. At the door to the study, Keiki was studying the three with a raised eyebrow. Collecting herself, the former princess grabbed a board and brush, looking at the other woman curiously. “Do you know how it’s made? Maybe we can find a solution with what we already have?”

Youko sighed as she slumped forward, elbows on the table and forehead resting against her fists. “I don’t know the process, I just know it’s made from a type of plant. But it’s common in Japan these days, you can find it anywhere.”

“Shuujou.” The trio looked over to the Kirin who held back the urge to shuffle nervously. “If it is a plant, you can pray at the Riboku here for new seeds. But,” he started when his queen gave him an eager look, “you have to know exactly what you are praying for, or you may be granted something completely different.”

A deep sigh rattling her frame, Youko slumped back in her seat. Only for Keiki to have a thrill of anxious energy run down his spine at the sudden cunning look on the face of his queen. “Keiki, do you remember where Yuka lives?”

...

Yuka rolled her head, feeling and hearing the vertebrae in her neck crunch and stretch and move back into a more normal position after being hunched over her desk for so many hours. Studying for finals was the absolute worst, but it needed to be done. And the rain tapping against the window from the sudden storm only served to make her feel drowsy. She would kill for a reason for a quick break.

A grumble from her feet startled her out of her chair, trying not to stumble after being seated for so long. She knew that sound from being friends with Kaname, but she hadn’t seen him in days...

The fluffy gray head under her desk was wolf-shaped, if the wolf had been formed by someone who had only seen cartoon wolves, but he still held himself with all the dignity in the world. It was also very familiar. “Hankyo? What are you doing? And, why are you here?” The shirei seemed to smile as he flowed up and out of the floor, moving to curl up in her bed. In his wake came another head, this one red and black and wedged shaped with a saber-toothed grin.

_“We are here on a quest from an old friend of yours,”_ Hankyo offered, curling up on her comforter and spreading his fluff out on the pillows.

Hyouki rolled his eyes at his lanky companion, moving to sit on the floor. Yuka was starting to feel cramped in the tiny room. He raised his head, revealing a scroll delicately held between impressive fangs, offering it to Yuka. _“Her majesty sends her regards, and a wish list.”_

_“She also sends this,”_ Hankyo continued, lifting a lanky paw. Underneath was a jeweled dagger and a set of wisteria themed kanzashi. _“For you to keep or trade at your leisure. She understands this may be a busy time for you.”_ That gray muzzle stretched in what was honestly a rather creepy grin. _“She assures that these are not enchanted.”_

It wasn’t just wisteria Yuka noticed as she gently retrieved the pins from the shirei. It was a medley of wisteria and bluebells, and a second set of plum blossoms and azaleas. She smiled as she ran her fingers over the delicate gemwork of the wisteria bunches. _“We are told that these have a different meaning to you than to us,”_ Hyouki offered, nudging the azaleas gently. _“For us, they mean Take Care Of Yourself For Me.”_

Another smile, this one offered with a hand to scratch Hyouki’s muzzle. “I’ll cherish them,” she assured, already mentally planning which Yukata would go best with the pins. It would take a little work to get them to stick in short hair but she knew it could be done.

_“We ask that you read the scroll now,”_ Hankyo stated, pointing with a claw. _“Our queen wishes for us to retrieve items and information, and informs us that you may be of assistance.”_

Raising an eyebrow, she opened the scroll, blinking at the strange requests within. “...Shaving cream and razors? Information on the cacao plant? 60 pounds of various chocolates?” She shot the shirei an incredulous look. “I thought she couldn’t have children, let alone get pregnant.”

The shirei laughed at this. _“She says she misses ‘modern konbini and pocky.’ She plans to introduce chocolate to Kei and ‘win the hearts of women around the world while refilling the country’s coffers.’”_

Yuka couldn’t help but laugh as well. It sounded like something she would come up with too. “Alright, come back in,” she glanced at her watch, “two hours and I’ll have when she needs.”

~~~...~~~...~~~

Keiki was not a fan of Wa, but at least the ocean was nice. The breeze was tangling in his mane as he waited. The sun said that it had been just over two hours since Hyouki had returned, relaying the information from Yuka, and the storm he had kicked up with his entrance to Wa had finally died down. It would return when they leave, but it wouldn’t be nearly as strong as when he brought Youko back to Kei.

He sighed. He hoped this project of hers worked. Having another item their country could trade would help, but only in the long run, not the short. He just hoped it wouldn’t become a distraction...

“Well, you haven’t changed a bit.” Keiki was jolted out of his thoughts at the familiar voice. Yuka was trotting up across the sand, a overstuffed duffel bag banging off her hip. Yuka grinned as she skidded to a stop, looking up at the stoic male. “You could have come and said hello you know, I wouldn’t have minded.”

A thin smile. “I will keep that in mind if I must return to Wa again.” He nodded to the duffle. “Is this all my queen wanted?”

“Yeah, I even found how to make chocolate by hand,” Yuka offered as she swung the duffel strap over her head. She opened a side pocket, pulling a folder out by a few inches. “Try not to get this wet on the way back ok? The ink will smear. Also, let her know that the KitKats are the seasonal ones and that I cleared out two stores to get her as much as I could.”

Keiki staggered a little as he took the bag. It was bulging at the seams and felt like carrying a small child. “I will let her know. Is there anything you wish to tell her?” He asked when Yuka seemed to hesitate.

She looked away for a second before turning back to the tall blond. “Let her know I think of her often. And that I may have found a nice young man? She’ll know what that means.”

Keiki nodded, stepping back a step as Hankyo emerged next to him. A quick jump onto his back, and they found themselves farther out to sea to summon the portal home. _“Our queen will be happy to have us home,”_ Hankyo offered as he flew through, aiming for the moon.

“Indeed.”

~~~...~~~...~~~

“Gods bless you Yuka,” Youko breathed as she flipped through the pages, a stick of almond pocky between her lips. The caffeine and sugar were already coursing through her system, mellowing her mood as she studied.

“So, this is chocolate?” Suzu asked as she nibbled on a handful of Chocolate Mushrooms. She’d been drawn to the name Meiji, recognizing it from before she was spirited away.

“I’m enjoying it!” Shoukei chirped around a sake flavored KitKat. “I can see why you missed this Youko.”

The young queen grinned as she gestured at the folder of printed information. “And with this, we can make more when we run out of the candy.”

“That may take a while,” Suzu muttered, glancing back to the duffel bag. Yuka has taken the scroll seriously and had managed to procure at least 40 pounds of chocolate bars, as well as dozens of boxes of other candies. The side pockets held the other items Youko had asked for, though she had already passed those on to Gyokuyou for the next time she washed her hair.

Yuka has even gotten her unscented deodorant. And a note that stated that it would probably be kinder to Kirin noses.

Said Kirin was looking over the ladies from the edge of the table, the arch to an eyebrow the only sign that he was amused. “I still do not see the appeal of this confection.”

“Well come join the party Keiki!” Shoukei trilled, dancing over to pull him by the hand. Youko raised her own eyebrow at this. Those KitKats weren’t supposed to be truly alcoholic. Maybe it was because she had never had this type of sugar or caffeine before?

Youko dug into the bag, pulling out a box of dark chocolate pocky. “I know you’re not a fan of very sweet things. But these are more rich than sweet, if you want to try?”

The Kirin accepted the box, but before he could open it a minister appeared at the door calling for him.

It wasn’t till hours later that night that he remembered the box in his pocket. He pulled it out as he paced up to the rail of his balcony. Down below he could see his queen kneeling before the Riboku, already starting the ritual to summon the seeds for this new plant.

A stick of slightly melted chocolate against his lips and he blinked at the taste. It was rich like she said, slightly bitter but with just enough sweet to offset it.

It was lovely.

And he smiled as he bit into the biscuit, a warmth in his chest as he watched his queen praying. Praying for their country.

And his own prayers drifted along the night wind.


	2. The Art of Burning Water

Their first few tries ended in absolute disaster. The first batch hadn’t been cleaned thoroughly enough before the roasting stage and the fibrous hairs left on the nuts had caught fire and cinderized the batch. The next brushes were thicker and they employed more people to polish the beans before placing them in the fire. Only the fire was too strong and they wasted more beans before creating a rotating barrel to more evenly cook the things. This had worked and after four hours over the flames the shells had started to crack and fall away. The kitchen was starting to smell like chocolate and charcoal, and having learned their lesson before, Youko and the others were thorough in the removal of the shells this time.

Youko was grinning as she consulted the folder Yuka had sent them. The council meeting was done for the day, and as the only one who could read kanji, they needed her to translate. At least until they learned the methods themselves. “Alright, it says here we need to crush the nuts now into a fine paste. And the oils will start to separate.” She bit her lip as she sat back, playing with the sleeve of her sword practice clothes. “How are we going to do this?”

Suzu hummed, a finger tapping her chin. “Maybe the wringer we use for laundry?” She suggested. “They’re big and heavy enough to do the job.”

It was a good first try, but the wringer has its own issues. No one wanted to hold the nibs to the stones long enough for them to start to grind. The side loading was perfect for cloth but awkward for fingers.

And the nibs did not want to be crushed. An extra large one pinged away towards the door right as Keiki was walking past, smacking right against his hip. He would deny the almost horse-like snort of surprise, but every lady in attendance would remember his hair poofing out like a startled cat.

Shoukei was the voice of reason this time, suggesting a system similar to a rice grinder. This worked much better, with gravity helping to feed their diminishing supply of nibs between the rotating stones. Youko would laugh at herself a few days later, saying that she didn’t know she could still get blisters on top of sword calluses.

They had to pause for a few days while artisans worked on the press system. If the design worked they would add a large weight to the top of the devise. But it wasn’t meant to be a permanent addition to the palace. So Youko asked Keiki if they could borrow one of his shirei, the muscled ape Jyuusaku.

Curious despite himself, the Kirin joined them out in the garden, holding back a smile as his queen bossed the shirei around. The strainer was a tall cylinder with the smallest possible holes perforated into the bottom, and a large stick with a stone plunger for Jyuusaku to use. It looked almost like a mortar and pestle, if the pestle was made to fit perfectly into the mortar.

“Ok Jyuusaku,” Youko directed as the ladies scooped the paste into the strainer. “We need you to press down on this till you can’t go any farther ok? We’re trying to separate as much of the cocoa butter as we can.”

The ape nodded as he held the pestle aloft as delicately as one would a toothpick. He slid it into the cylinder, tapped the paste down carefully, then started to press, the muscles in his arms bulging from the effort. The fine holes in the bottom of the cylinder were small enough to keep even water from spilling out, but a fine yellow-white oil started to ooze out into a waiting bowl. Suzu and Shoukei were a chorus of giggling eewwwws at the sight and squishy sounds, Youko pursing her lips together to keep from joining in. The cook scraped at the oil, clearing the strainer, keeping a weathered eye on the product.

The oil was starting to ooze out with tints of brown in it. “I think that’s en-“

It exploded. The bottom of the cylinder separated violently, Jyuusaku grunting in surprise even as the cocoa butter splattered everywhere. The ladies were coated in the sticky oily goop, wiping at eyes and clothes.

Keiki was frozen, eyes wide, and coated in the oil. A large glob hung from his nose for one delicate moment before falling to the stone path with an audible plop.

Jyuusaku looked at the pestle, the ladies around him, his taiho. “Sorry about that.”

Youko couldn’t help herself. She started laughing, unable to stop when she wrapped her arms around her stomach and heard her own clothes squiiiiiish. “Note, to self,” she finally gasped out after a moment. “Make this in one piece!”

The other joined her mirth a few minutes later. What else could you do when a project fails so spectacularly?

Even Keiki was chuckling, trying to wipe the butter off his face. It felt like he was just smearing it over his skin though. He paused when his queen offered him a handkerchief from a pocket, one of the few things that hadn’t been doused. He scrubbed at the oil as he inched towards the door. He desperately needed a bath now!

~~~...~~~...~~~

The scent of burning chocolate became commonplace around the palace. It followed the young queen like a bitter perfume as she went about her duties. The ministers learned to fear the sight of her approaching them with a plate as they finally entered the final stages of processing. No one enjoyed burnt chocolate. And the grainy sloppy mess as they figured out temperature ranges wasn’t any better.

“This is the last of the first batch Youko,” Shoukei offered as she continued to stir the pot, paddles scraping against the sides to pulverize the small grains of cane sugar. “If we ruin this one we will have to start from scratch again.”

“Maybe this is too hard for us to make,” Suzu grumbled, wiping a splatter of brown off her forehead. “I’m not sure we have the man power to do this right.”

Youko shook her head, lips pursed as she added a splash of milk to the mix. “If ancient cultures can do this, then we can surely learn. It’s just going to take practice.” Using a soup spoon, she scraped up a small sample, testing it gingerly. It was finally soft to the touch and a taste brought a smile to her lips. “I think we’ve got it pretty close this time though,” she chirped, passing the spoon around.

“Shuujou?”

The ladies all grinned as one. Keiki resisted the urge to flee. He was tired of having to wash chocolate out of his mane!

“Taste test!” Shoukei chirped, bouncing over and stuffing the spoon into his mouth.

He offered a muffled protest, but only glared as he removed the offending utensil. He nodded after a moment though. “This is your best try yet,” he offered, licking a dark smear from his lips.

There was no smile, but the absolute joy on his queens’ face was reward enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Chocolate was not introduced to Japan till 1797 when it was given to prostitutes by Dutch traders. (Whether actual sex workers or geisha is unknown) and was mostly available to only the nobles. The first factory in Japan did not open until the 1920s. Youko would have grown up with chocolate, but it would have been completely unknown to Shoryuu who's over 500 years into his reign. 
> 
> Conbee = Japanese convenience stores.
> 
> Hanakotoba!
> 
> Bluebells = gratefulness.  
> Wisteria = support, sensitive  
> Plum = loyalty  
> Azelea (eastern meaning) = take care of yourself for me
> 
> This was going to be a silly one shot, but not only did it get away from me, but a friend asked 'What happens the first time she tries to make chocolate?' 
> 
> Dammit Girl, why must you fuel the fire?
> 
> So there will be at least one more chapter. Hope you all enjoy!


End file.
